1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device that allows, even if an operational mode of an electronic device or an image processing apparatus is changed and screen images are switched accordingly, the user to appropriately grasp the pieces of information displayed in each operational mode. Particularly, the present invention relates to a display device capable of presenting, when the screen image is divided into a plurality of areas for displaying function setting information and preview information (though not limited to these pieces of information), the function setting information and the preview information in an appropriate manner by changing the size of areas. The present invention also relates to an electronic device and an image processing apparatus provided with such a display device.
2. Description of the Background Art
As one type of image processing apparatuses as electronic equipment, image forming apparatuses forming images on recording paper (typically, copy machines) are introduced to many places of business (companies and offices). In such a place of business, it has become increasingly common to connect an image forming apparatus having a printer function or a copy function to a network, to allow use (sharing) by a plurality of users. A multifunction peripheral (MFP) as one type of such image forming apparatuses has a plurality of basic operational modes such as a copy mode, a facsimile mode (hereinafter “facsimile” may also be denoted as FAX or fax), a network-supported printer mode and a scanner mode. In such an image forming apparatus, each user selects an operational mode and selects and makes settings of a function of duplex (two-sided) printing or collective printing (such as 2-in-1 by which two pages of an original document are printed on one sheet, or 4-in-1 by which four pages of an original document are printed on one sheet), whereby images are formed on sheets of paper in a desired manner. Appropriate combinations of these functions come to be more frequently used.
When a user uses such an image forming apparatus, for example, the user inputs image data in the scanner mode, performs image processing (such as collection) by inputting various instructions through an operation panel, and prints the results on a sheet of recording paper. In such a situation, the operation panel, serving as an operation and display unit, functions as an interface between the image forming apparatus and the user. Generally, on the operation panel, a screen image for setting functions in each operational mode is displayed, so that the user can easily set various functions. Further, while a job is being executed, job progress status may be displayed, to allow the user to easily grasp the progress status of the job. In the printer mode executed upon reception of data from an external device, the job progress status may be displayed in accordance with the data received from the external device as a source.
Recently, a touch-panel display having a touch-panel formed on a liquid crystal panel (display panel) comes to be increasingly used as such an operation panel. By way of example, items (software buttons) allowing selection of a mode of the image forming apparatus are displayed on the touch-panel display, the user viewing the display presses a position of an item displayed on the touch-panel display (presses a software button), and the operational mode is set.
Such a touch-panel display having both the display and operation functions is advantageous in that it eliminates the necessity of providing a display unit and an operation unit separately. Further, it attracts attention recently since a command can be selected advantageously in accordance with the user's sense, when it is adapted such that a command can be selected in accordance with a trajectory of pressing of the touch-panel display by the user's finger. Examples of such command selection using finger trajectory include the following.
When a plurality of pages are displayed on the touch-panel display as print previews, the following operations may be performed. By a user operation of lightly tapping twice (hereinafter also referred to as double-tapping) a position of a certain page displayed as a preview, a command to display the page in an enlarged or reduced size can be selected. By a user operation trajectory of expanding a space between two fingers (hereinafter also referred to as pinch-out or pinch-open), a command to display the page in an enlarged size can be selected, and by a user operation trajectory of reducing a space between the two fingers (hereinafter also referred to as pinch-in or pinch-close), a command to display the page in a reduced size can be selected. In the following, these operations are denoted as gesture operations. The gesture operations are not limited to the above, and may include: tapping, or lightly touching an item displayed on the touch-panel display; dragging, or sliding an item with a finger; flicking, or lightly sweeping an item to scroll; and pinching with two fingers. It is noted that, strictly speaking, the tapping and double-tapping are not determined by the user operation trajectory on the touch-panel display (determined not by the trajectory but by detection of a position). The user's request, however, can also be detected by these operations and, therefore, these are also included in the gesture operations in the present specification.
Further, in the present specification, an operation other than the gesture operations as such will be described as a touch operation. The touch operation means an operation of detecting a user's request based on the position of operation by the user on the touch-panel. A representative example of the touch operation is an operation of the user pressing a position of an item (pressing a software button) displayed on the touch-panel display.
In an MFP provided with a touch-panel display allowing both touch operation and gesture operation, it is possible for a user to adjust settings related to various image processing operations such as margin size, and make settings for finish, including stamping, stapling and punching. If such a finish function or functions are set for printing, the user cannot confirm the finished form until he/she obtains the result of actual printing. Therefore, it is not unusual that a user sets a finish with punched holes and when actually printed, the output is a failed copy having images overlapped with the positions of holes to be punched. This leads to waste of consumables (toner and recording paper).
In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-3568 (hereinafter referred to as '568 Reference) discloses an image forming apparatus that allows a user to confirm finished form before actually executing printing, thereby realizing accurate and simplified setting work.
The image forming apparatus includes a finished form information generating unit, an input screen image information generating unit, a display unit and a setting unit. The finished form information generating unit generates information of finished form screen image expected when image data processing and print finish processing are done. The input screen image information generating unit generates input screen image information for receiving setting input by an operator, based on the information of expected finished form screen image generated by the finished form information generating unit. The display unit displays the expected finished form based on the information of expected finished form screen image, and an input image screen based on the input screen image information generated by the input screen image information generating unit. The setting unit receives a setting input, including a setting input by the operator through the input screen image displayed on the display unit.
In the image forming apparatus, the information of expected finished form screen image after image data processing and print finish processing are done is generated. Based on the generated information of expected finished form screen image, the input screen image information is generated, for receiving a setting input by the operator. The expected finished state based on the information of expected finished form screen image and the input screen image based on the input screen image information are displayed, and the setting input including a setting input by the operator through the displayed input screen image is received. Since the information of expected screen image and the setting screen image information allowing input by the operator are generated in accordance with the input image data, and the expected printing state and the setting input screen image are displayed as described above, it is possible to display the expected finished form screen image before setting various functions, to display items for setting necessary functions from complicated menu items, and thereby to present an accurate and simplified setting menu that is easy to grasp intuitively. Thus, an image forming apparatus realizing highly efficient and convenient setting work can be provided.
Further, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-188054 (hereinafter referred to as '054 Reference) discloses an image forming apparatus in which a preview image of a finished form is displayed before actually printing a copy, allowing the user to change print setting as necessary.
The image forming apparatus includes: an image data input unit; an image storage unit; a tentative finished form information generating unit; an input screen image information generating unit; a display unit; a setting unit; and a copying unit. The image data input unit inputs image data. The image storage unit stores sample image data in advance. The tentative finished form information generating unit generates tentative finished form information expected when setting is done based on various pieces of setting information on the sample image data. The input screen image information generating unit generates input screen image information including setting process items for receiving various setting inputs related to the tentative finished form information. The display unit displays the input screen image based on the tentative finished form information and the input screen image information. The setting unit outputs the contents of setting inputs received through the input screen image to the tentative finished form information generating unit, to realize the setting. The copying unit executes the process for copying the image data input through the image data input unit, based on the tentative finished form information.
In the image forming apparatus, various items are set on the input screen image provided in accordance with the input screen image information and the tentative finished form information based on the sample image data. The tentative finished form information reflecting the setting is displayed on the display unit. Therefore, pre-scanning of a document becomes unnecessary, and hence the process of setting various items can be done at higher speed.
Various electronic devices as represented by the image forming apparatus and an image processing apparatus include a touch-panel display as a display device. As disclosed in the references described above, various pieces of information are displayed on the touch-panel display. The image forming apparatus as one of such electronic devices has a plurality of functional modes or process functions (operational modes). When a user selects an operational mode, an initial screen image corresponding to the selected operational mode is displayed on the touch-panel display. In the reference described above, on the screen image of a copy mode as one operational mode, a preview after image processing and before execution of printing is displayed. The user sets editing function or functions while viewing the preview.
However, if a large area is necessary for displaying preview information (for example, if previews of a plurality of pages are to be displayed to determine layout of a plurality of documents), it is impossible to fully present the preview information to the user with a small preview screen image. On the other hand, if the preview screen image is large while only a small area is necessary to display the preview information (for example, when a preview of one page is displayed to carry out image processing of a single document), an area for presenting editing functions to the user becomes too small, and it is impossible to fully present the function selection information to the user.
In regard of such a problem, what is disclosed in '568 Reference is simply an image forming apparatus in which the information of expected finished form is presented as the preview information on a presenting area of a fixed size. What is disclosed in '054 Reference is simply an image forming apparatus provided with a touch panel having function selection buttons on opposite sides of a preview displayed on an area of a fixed size. Therefore, even when the amount of information required for appropriately giving the preview information to the user changes, or when the amount of information required for appropriately giving the function setting information to the user changes, the size of preview area and the size of function selecting area are fixed and, hence, the problem that necessary information cannot fully be given to the user remains unsolved.
Further, none of the references described above discloses changing the manner of displaying the preview or the manner of displaying the function selection menu in accordance with an operation by the user, in order to facilitate the next operation by the user, and changing the manner of displaying the preview or the manner of displaying the function selection menu in order to facilitate confirmation of the result of operation by the user.